


Coffee-Stained Sweater

by MakaylaJade



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28996449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakaylaJade/pseuds/MakaylaJade
Summary: "You look really cute in that sweater."In which Morgan finds himself liking Reid's new sweater enough to build up the nerve and ask him out.
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid
Comments: 12
Kudos: 136





	Coffee-Stained Sweater

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a cute drabble that I wrote since I needed a lighthearted piece to counter against Metanoia.  
> I hope you enjoy!

“You look really cute in that sweater.”

Waking up that morning, Derek Morgan never would have thought that those words would be the ones he started his day off with. He was almost as surprised as Reid was when he heard it, and the younger man simply blinked but smiled and glanced down at himself as if checking to make sure that it was really _his_ sweater that he was referring to.

“O-Oh, thank you, thanks,” he stammered bashfully, smoothing a hand down his chest over the front of it. It wasn’t anything special; warm burgundy in color, it was made of wool with a cable knit pattern. It was very warm, thankfully, since winter was in full force and poor Reid was no match for the East Coast weather. It hung off of his slim frame though, oversized, and his hands barely peaked out from the sleeves. Morgan found it adorable though, and the more he looked at his coworker, the more difficult it was to look away.

“Sorry, that was, um... That was weird. Let me try again; Good morning, I like your sweater,” Morgan said dismissively, his face heated up as he swallowed almost nervously,Reid didn’t let this go unnoticed either, because even though he himself was flustered, Derek Morgan was _never_ embarrassed after giving compliments. He did it to Garcia all the time, and the banter between the two of them lasted through entire cases. What was it about him that was so different?

“Good morning, Derek. And thank you,” Spencer said, playing along and offering a small smile as he stood up from his desk to go to the break room. He was already on his third cup of coffee, and if Morgan knew, he would probably scold him for being so unhealthy. But given their job and its unpredictable schedule, it wasn’t exactly easy to maintain healthy eating habits. 

Derek settled himself in at his desk, watching Spencer go and knowing his eyes were lingering on the young doctor for far too long. His feelings for the other had already been under the radar for quite some; nearly a year and a half now. He didn’t know how much longer they could be kept restrained, because every fiber of his being wanted nothing more than to wrap Spencer Reid up in his arms and hold him and his oversized sweater. He eventually built up the nerve to follow after Reid into the break room, seeing him standing in front of the coffee machine with a faraway look in his eyes. 

He approached slowly, and only when he said his name softly and laid a hand on his shoulder did Reid react - quite violently too. He jerked out of his daydreaming, the half filled mug splashing on his sweater in its descent to the floor, where it shattered in a dark puddle. “Oh god, Reid, I’m so sorry, are you okay?” Morgan said, pulling back from the other and looking back and forth between his stained sweater and the floor.

Spencer looked both surprised and confused, lashes fluttering in his shock as he looked down at his now stained sweater and felt the burning in his abdomen. “I will be after I recover from my third degree burns,” he said, a pained expression on his face now. Morgan was filled with guilt and he immediately began to panic in fear that Reid was actually injured. The young doctor muttered something about going to the bathroom and scurried off quickly, waddling like a penguin with his arms extended from his soaked midriff. Morgan watched him go before cleaning up the mess that he had inadvertently made, sweeping up the broken glass and disposing of it before heading back to the bullpen in search of Reid to make sure he was really okay. But when he didn’t see him at his desk, he immediately realized he must still be in the bathroom, and that concerned him.

Collecting Reid’s go bag which sat on the ground beside his desk, he headed towards the bathroom down the hall and immediately saw Spencer in front of the mirrors, shirtless and wiping off his thin abdomen and _was he always that pale?_

“S-Sorry, man, I just brought your go bag... For a change of clothes,” he said, looking away as he thrust it towards the other man. If it were any other man, he most likely wouldn’t look away like that, but it was _Spencer_ and he knew how shy the genius was. Spencer didn’t seem to notice though, because he took the bag offered and began to ruffle through it, only to look up and see Morgan with his head turned, eyes averted.

“Thank you,” Spencer said, slipping a button up shirt on over his shoulders and looking towards Morgan with a fond smile. 

The rest of the day went by as normal, but the tension between the two men did not go unnoticed by Emily, who continuously looked back and forth as if searching for an explanation. When she realized she wouldn't get one though, she gave up and focused on her work. As was usual, Reid ended up finishing his files before the other two, but he hung around and typed away at his computer, consulting on other cases that requested an expert’s help. 

When six o’clock came, the group began to pack up, but Morgan purposely stayed behind until it was just him and Reid, and he made sure to walk out with him too. He made it look as natural as possible, but luckily that was not difficult to do because even though Reid was an excellent profiler, he was not the greatest at reading social cues. They stood in the elevator side by side, Reid fidgeting somewhat nervously with the strap of his messenger bag while he waited for the doors to open. But somewhere between the fourth and the fifth floor, Morgan built up the courage to speak. 

“I meant what I said, you know,” he said, his voice low as if there were others around who could hear them, even though it was just the two of them. Spencer looked at him in confusion, tilting his head.

“What?”

“What I said this morning... About your sweater,” he filled in awkwardly, and the smile on Spencer’s face was enough for his heart to skip a beat, radiant and practically sparkling.

“Th-Thank you,” he said, flattered and flushed again, but he was much more comfortable with the compliment now than he was that morning.

“Maybe... Maybe I can make it up to you, for that dropped coffee,” he said, and Spencer’s nose twitched slightly at that, as if his confusion caused a physical reaction. 

“What do you mean? We get coffee all the time,” he said, and Derek felt himself grow more nervous than he had anticipated. Right... Reid wasn’t good with typical social interactions. He really had to be specific about this. “Just last week we went to get lunch together.”

“No, I mean... Like as a date,” Morgan explained, and Reid’s expression could have been comical if it were any other situation. His hazel eyes went impossibly wide and his lips parted just slightly, and it seemed as if the young doctor’s brain had short circuited. “Reid?...”

“A-A date?” he stuttered, tongue flicking out across his lips as he swallowed nervously. “You want to go on a date... with me?”

“Yeah, I mean... It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. We can go to that cafe that you like, the one with all of the different flavored syrups,” Morgan said, suddenly growing aware of the very real possibility that he could be rejected. But instead, a small smile grew on Reid’s lips and nervously, he bobbed his head in the affirmative.

“I’d like that,” he said softly, and by then, the elevator doors had opened and the two men were left standing inside now facing each other while exposed to the parking garage. 

“Good... Good,” Morgan said, and Reid glanced down at himself before looking back up to meet Derek’s gaze.

“I’ll wear the sweater. Since you liked it,” he said bashfully and Morgan wasn't sure if this boy could be any more precious. The two eventually parted ways for the night, and Morgan was left feeling more fulfilled than he had in awhile. He never thought a coffee stained sweater could be the gateway to a date with Reid.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr - @makaylajadewrites


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